// Overseas travel blog

Am I always in nightclubs? Well, no. Obviously these nights make great stories and indulge the hedonist pursuit of one of Berlin’s famed exports: techno.

However, I also enjoy art galleries, stage performances, day trips to forests and lakes outside the city, churches (these very infrequently though) and other more traditional means of cultural immersion. Aside from these slated ‘excursions’, I am constantly absorbing the culture and making observations comparing and contrasting everyday life with back home. One of the huge things I noticed on the street here when I first moved to Berlin was the sheer number of smokers, and the social acceptability of smoking nicht nur on the street sondern auch ​in restaurants and indoor venues. It’s everywhere. So why?

The World Health Organisation’s most recent report on the surveillance of tobacco use in Australia indicates that a pack of Marlborough cigarettes costs around AUD $18.50. In contrast, the same pack in Germany would cost one EUR 5.50 (or approximately AUD $9), which is around half the price. Our average income is certainly not double Germany’s, meaning a pack is certainly more affordable. But this is not the only factor.

Australia is also a pioneer in anti-tobacco legislation, which appears to have been successful. The most recognized example of this is the plain packaging law, which mandates that every brand of tobacco on sale in Australia must be housed within a khaki-brown carton - the colour of which has been specifically and scientifically selected as the least appealing shade to consumers. (The cartons are hidden behind cupboard doors in any case, so as to create the illusion they don't exist). Germany is still promoting the cool factor: fancy packaging, distinctive branding, and visible advertising.

With the advent of E-cigarettes, a new breed of nicotine emerged and managed to duck and weave its way under the legislation to become an omnipresent cigarette substitute. A short time later, and Australia has also cracked down on these devices, moving to quickly expand the definition of smoking devices to include E-cigarettes and vaping implements. At least in 2016, Berlin's streets were ablaze with 'vapers', leaving passers by to make their way through a plume of vanilla-tinged nicotine haze.

According to the statistics, 14.5% of Australian adults aged 18 years and over were daily smokers in the year between 2014 and 2015, down substantially from 23.8% in 1995. On the other hand, 20.9% of the German population were recorded as regular smokers in 2013, and 24.5% – a quarter of the population – when including occasional smokers.

So what is the consequence of this disparity? Well, there is a lag time between implementation of legislation and the consequential smoking rates, meaning that current statistics are primarily a reflection of earlier trends. However, what is known is that recent reports state that 121,000 people in Germany die from the consequences of smoking each year, and the death rate from smoking is reportedly greater in the north of Germany i.e. Berlin. The total population of Germany is currently around 80 million people. Comparably, 15,500 Australian’s die of smoking related consequences each year from a population around 23 million.​So what have we learned? Well, at a minimum: that Berliners love cigarettes, and recognisably more so than their Australian counterparts. They like to smoke in parks, on the way to work, in bars, restaurants, clubs, houses - and probably sometimes in their sleep. It can be tempting to take a glimpse at a Berliner with their slim figure in skinny jeans and an all-black get up, nonchalantly rolling a cigarette, and be overcome with a desire to emulate their style. But with 'great coolness' comes 'great responsibility' - namely to take account for the fact that you're also choosing to take a gamble on your health. The stats don't lie, the choice is yours.